Judges 6:4
“They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey.”
What does Judges 6:4 mean?
During this period, the Midianites were raiding Israel's farmland like a plague of locusts, sweeping through and leaving nothing behind, not even animals or crops. The people were being systematically starved out, losing everything they'd worked to grow and raise. This wasn't just military conflict, it was economic devastation designed to weaken the nation entirely. Understanding this desperation helps explain why Gideon, who appears right after this verse, felt so afraid and uncertain, and why God's reassurance to him mattered so deeply.